Getting away from Paris 101*

There is so much more to see than the places overrun by tourists

[*Explanation of “Paris 101” for non-USA readers: In US colleges and universities, courses are numbered in a way to indicate their level of depth and degree of difficulty. Entry-level classes that may be part of basic requirements are commonly numbered as 101, such as Psychology 101, Chemistry 101, etc.]

Paris deserves many return visits!

You’ve been to Paris and you loved it. You don’t have to explain a thing to me! I get it! It’s certainly a city that is worthy of multiple return visits. It has that certain Je ne sais quoi, a quality that many people feel when they visit.

A small sample of what I love about it: beautiful architecture, elevated quality of life, world-class cultural amenities, ease of finding all daily necessities, and surprisingly unusual spots in almost every corner of the City of Lights.

With that being the case, what do you do once you have visited all the must-see locales of the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Louvre, Sacré Coeur, Notre Dame, Bastille, Opéra, or whatever else may be on your list?

Do you declare yourself done with Paris and decide that you are going to spend your hard-earned vacation time and money elsewhere?

While I imagine that there are plenty of people who have done just that, I find myself consistently coming back for more.

Let’s start with my brief history of visits to Paris

I am fortunate in that I began writing this piece just last month, during my twelfth visit since 1986 to this amazing city. I have included a minimum of one week in Paris during every visit I have made to France. It was evident to me during that first visit that Paris was not a three-days-and-you’re-done kind of a place.

When people ask me what is my favorite country to visit, at first I have to think about it. But then, I realize that I should let the stats speak for themselves. (Yes, I do, indeed, have a spreadsheet!) It’s France.

I covered all of my own Paris 101 basics during my first couple of visits. More importantly, it was during those visits when I was able to make lasting friendships with people who live here. As a result, subsequent visits have shifted my focus from seeing the sights to spending time with friends. That being said, my friends are typically working during the weekdays, so that affords me plenty of time to wander around on my own.

My 2017 visit was the longest: the entire month of September, which I accomplished by arranging a home exchange. If there is anything better than visiting Paris for an entire month, it’s having a free place to stay while visiting Paris for an entire month.

Transportation is an important component

That 2017 visit was memorable for several reasons. First of all, I got myself a full-month unlimited transit card (Navigo, the successor to the previous Carte Orange). The Navigo card with a one-week or one-month period of validity entitles the bearer to all the transport on Metro, buses, RER within Paris, and trams. Both the one-week and one-month subscription includes round-trip transport between Paris and the Charles de Gaulle Airport.

My first bit of advice if you are going to Paris for at least five days is to get yourself a Navigo card. It will open the most useful doors for you: the doors of the Metro, buses, trams and RER trains.

With a full month in Paris, I used my Navigo card not only to see the places I wanted to go but also to spend entire days on one of my favorite urban adventures when I have unlimited transport: I call it random bus. I have done this in many cities, so it’s not just Paris. I get myself one of those unlimited transport cards for a certain period of time and I am off and running.

This is how I work my random bus days: I get on a bus, usually not being aware of the route it is taking or its destination. As the bus navigates the streets, I gaze out the window until something of interest captures my attention. It could be just about anything: a museum I had never heard of, a mural, a mosaic, a building of noteworthy architecture, a park, a statue, a sign, or a shop. I get off the bus, take a closer look at what I had seen, and then start walking around the neighborhood. Something that never fails in a city such as Paris is that I will continue to see more objects of interest that I had never known about or heard of.

The point of interest could be something as simple as an Invader mosaic that I had never seen before, such as one of these:

When I tire of walking, I get on another bus. On one such random bus day, I encountered the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris for the first time, along with not only a tram that was operating on the street in front of it but the beautiful Parc Montsouris located across the street. You haven’t heard of Parc Montsouris? Neither had I. That was enough of a reason for me to make a visit.

These trams running there on Boulevard Jourdan are a relatively new component of the transit network, in that they were re-introduced in the late 1990s after I had already been here several times.

There are currently ten tram lines. For information about the trams, check out this link: https://www.introducingparis.com/tram#.

I was especially intrigued by this statement on the website:

Paris trams are not very interesting for visitors. Currently, the lines only run in the city’s outskirts and therefore visitors don’t usually take them.

I don’t know what your reaction is to that statement, but when I see it, it seals the deal for me: I definitely want to go to places where most visitors don’t go, because that is how I will get a better sense of the daily life as lived by Parisians!

Museums: beyond the usual

It makes sense that during people’s early visits to Paris, if they enjoy museums, they will more than likely concentrate on the most famous ones, such as the Louvre, d’Orsay, Orangerie, etc. I usually consult museum websites to learn about special exhibitions. I don’t shy away from well-known museums, but I usually want to know what is on view and decide that way.

During that month-long stay in 2017, I obtained a membership card for the fourteen Museums of the City of Paris, which are well explained on this website: https://www.parisinsidersguide.com/city-of-paris-museums.html. Though in principle, these museums are free, most of them included special exhibitions that required the payment of a fee or a membership card in order to enter. I went for the full monty on those.

It was by visiting these smaller museums that I was able to get to see the former home of Victor Hugo and to learn about the work of several artists that were theretofore unknown to me, such as Ossip Zadkine and Antoine Bourdelle.

Some of the things I love about Paris

Almost every neighborhood has exactly what you need to supply yourself with the basic daily necessities. Take the Metro, get out at just about any station, and you will find within a short walk, grocery stores, restaurants, parks, pharmacies, bakeries, and shops with quirky one-of-a-kind fashion and accessories.

I’m a sucker for secondhand stores and flea markets. Having an unhurried visit always lends itself to being able to visit these. I never really need to buy anything, but I like looking because I may just uncover a hidden gem.

I was once on the lookout for an item that had me searching through several flea markets: a small tray that I could use as the base for gluing an assortment of foreign coins I had collected. I was successful in finding this little tray for 1€:

Advantages to staying in an apartment rather than a hotel

I’m happy to do some meal preparation, even when I am on vacation. Sure, I eat in restaurants occasionally, and I do have some favorites in Paris. But when it comes to basics like breakfast and happy hour wine and snacks, I am most content when I am in a home environment and consuming what I bought at a supermarket. All the basics like coffee, wine, cheese, and other snacks are easy to find and reasonably priced.

For me, perusing grocery stores is enjoyable and educational. On any given day, I can be found wandering the aisles of Monoprix, Franprix, Carrefour, Auchan, and the like. It’s a luxury to take my time by not being in a hurry to pack in as much as possible. Supermarket shopping is also very much a quintessentially local experience, not only in Paris, but wherever you go.

Of course, you should see all the famous sights!

I hope nobody reading this thought that I was discouraging them from seeing the very destinations that have made Paris as beloved as it is. There is something magical about having firsthand experiences at places whose images are easily recognized all over the world. By all means, do that.

Just don’t deprive yourself of the serendipity that awaits you when you remove yourself from the beaten path.